February 19, 2014 Human Rights Session: Refugees in Malaysia

In 2012, according to the UNHCR, almost 920,000 people applied for asylum or refugee status. These are people who are seeking safety from persecution in their home countries. They are often fleeing from threats of violence, rape, or torture. They may have used their entire life savings to escape their home country. They may be in severe need of medical attention and mental health resources. Yet despite making it to the relative safety of another country, their struggle may be far from over.

On Wednesday, February 19, Humphrey Fellow Liva Sreedharan will discuss how approximately 100,000 refugees in her home country of Malaysia go out of the frying pan and into the fire, escaping persecution in their home countries only to arrive in Malaysia, where they are perceived as illegal immigrants. Ms. Sreedharan will talk about the particular vulnerability of women refugees to abuse and exploitation, and how this ill-treatment is an assault not only on their human rights, but their identities as well.